Corruption of Aqidah, Ibadah and Life

Ramadhan has passed and left us. We pray that Allah has accepted our siyam, qiyam, lailatul qadr and all of the deeds we’ve done in the month. Ameen.

In the next 11 months, we hope to be given the opportunity to do more good deeds and to serve mankind with love, care and patience as we face fresh challenges.

Reflecting upon the Ramadhan that had just passed, we were constantly immersing ourselves in various good activities to please Allah. Now that we are in the new month of Shawwal, it’s time we move forward with a new spirit and adopt the positive attitude we’ve disciplined ourselves to have during Ramadhan.

Brothers and Sisters, we are living in a dumbed-down generation. A generation where there is no more real interaction between individuals, parent and child, families and the community. Frustration inevitably occurs when there is a communication breakdown between the older generation and the younger ones, leading to a lot of misunderstanding, preconception and suspicions.

If you were to think back to Ramadhan, the month had taught us to stay connected with Allah. It reminded us of how all of His Divine Books were revealed during this month: the New, Old and Final Testaments. The Holy Qur’an in particular was revealed to unite mankind; to guide us to the Straight Path.

If we all had diligently embraced this ethos during Ramadhan – looking to the Qur’an and Sunnah to guide our lives – then let’s not stop just at the blessed month. Carry forward this attitude.

…and when you differ, dispute or disagree in anything among yourself, then refer it to Allah and His Messenger…

Unfortunately, we forget easily. When faced with a problem, we do not seem to know where to direct ourselves. We forget to look towards the Qur’an and Sunnah when the Qur’an, the Prophet (ﷺ), all of the Companions, the khulafa ar-Rashidin, the four great Imams and the scholars in every Jumaat khutbah have continuously reminded us about it. It is as though all the reminders have fallen onto deaf ears. We fail to act and respond accordingly to that call. There is no impact to our hearts and minds. Is it that our hearts are hardened that we failed to be moved by these reminders? Or are we too ignorant and simply do not care?

The above ayat ends by emphasising “if you believe in Allah and the Last Day” to show the importance of referring matters to the Qur’an and Sunnah. It is not something to be taken lightly. Allah has shown the way to solve issues, but our arrogance is a sign that we do not believe in Allah and neither do we believe in the Last Day, where we will be questioned on how we resolve matters in this world.

For example, when a child has a problem with the parent, rarely do they come back to you for advice. Even if they do, rarely do parents guide their children correctly. Instead, everyone is busily entertaining their feelings and their opinions. Discussions are never brought back to Allah when Allah Himself knows best about His creations.

If the elders do not look to Allah’s guidance in the face of challenges, how then do we expect to help the younger generation?

If the elders do not look to Allah’s guidance in the face of challenges, how then do we expect to help the younger generation? If we do not react to Allah’s call and His reminders, how then do we hope the younger generation to react?

The young are so lost now because of this lack of correct communication between us and them. They look to their friends for answers, or the internet, or worst, to others who are not guided by the Book and the Messenger (ﷺ). What we have is a generation full of fitan. This threat to Allah’s Deen can only be overcome when we really listen, respond and react to the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

Let us all not let our Ramadhan deeds end in vain. We’ve proven to ourselves that change is possible. So let our behaviours in Ramadhan continue to be perpetuated throughout the year. May Allah bless us all and strengthen our commitment to change for the better. Ameen.

Hadith

On the authority of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudree (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
There should be neither harming (darar) nor reciprocating harm (dirar). A hasan hadeeth related by Ibn Majah, ad-Daraqutnee and others as a musnad hadeeth.

No Harming (La Darara Wa La Dirara)40 Hadith, Imam An-Nawawi

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say, “What I have forbidden for you, avoid. What I have ordered you [to do], do as much of it as you can. For verily, it was only the excessive questioning and their disagreeing with their Prophets that destroyed [the nations] who were before you.” [Al-Bukhari] [Muslim]

On the authority of Tameem ibn Aus ad-Daree (may Allah be pleased with him):
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “The deen (religion) is naseehah (advice, sincerity).” We said “To whom?” He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said “To Allah, His Book, His Messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk.” [Muslim]

Sincere Advice40 Hadith, Imam An-Nawawi

On the authority of Abdullah, the son of Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say, “Islam has been built on five [pillars]: testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the salah (prayer), paying the zakat (obligatory charity), making the hajj (pilgrimage) to the House, and fasting in Ramadhan.”’ [Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

5 Pillars of Islam40 Hadith, Imam An-Nawawi

It is narrated on the authority of Amirul Mu’minin, Abu Hafs ‘Umar bin al-Khattab, radiyallahu ‘anhu, who said:

I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, say: “Actions are (judged) by motives (niyyah), so each man will have what he intended. Thus, he whose migration (hijrah) was to Allah and His Messenger, his migration is to Allah and His Messenger; but he whose migration was for some worldly thing he might gain, or for a wife he might marry, his migration is to that for which he migrated.” [Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Actions are Based on Intentions40 Hadith, Imam An-Nawawi

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When you see the new moon of Dhul Hijjah, if any one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, then he should stop cutting his hair and nails until he has offered his sacrifice.” -Muslim

An Obligation when offering Qurban

The Prophet (sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “There are no days on which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.” They said: “Not even jihad for the sake of Allah?” He said: “Not even jihad for the sake of Allah, unless a man goes out himself for jihad taking his wealth with him and does not come back with anything.” (Reported by Bukhari)